Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods and systems of generating metadata for elements/services, and more particularly to generating, coordinating, composing, and defining the algebra of metadata for describing dependencies for composable elements/services, including as such composable elements/services to be updated, reprogrammed, composed, repurposed, etc.
As automation of OSS/BSS/SDP integration is currently being driven, it becomes difficult for such integration to be dynamic and be applied to the latest type of services. Many services are currently reprogrammable and/or composable. Such services are essentially provided in the form of generic software which is often compliant with, for example, a service-oriented architecture (SOA) (e.g., Web services, SCA, and/or Java compositions). It should be noted that such methodologies work regardless of the technologies used or the composition mechanism. When applications are combined or reprogrammed, they become new applications. If a service provider wants to sell usage licenses or subscriptions to the newly combined or reprogrammed application, the service provider should be able to represent to customers packages of such applications and available prices, plans, and services related to them offered in bundles or (with a discount) as part of promotions or as part of other sales strategies, in a timely manner. As new applications can be created quite rapidly, modeling available services and products should be equally as rapid. This is presently not the case and much manual creation of services and product catalogs is necessary.
In one example, FIG. 1(a) illustrates a lifecycle 100 for various services, in this case for telecommunications processes. Since it would be desirable to minimize the time, risk, and effort in proceeding from service conception to revenue-generating deployment, it would be desirable to automate such a process. It is further desirable to provide a near zero-touch service lifecycle with an end-to-end solution that can easily be provided to industries such as the telecommunications industry. As seen, the lifecycle runs from conception 102 through creation and assembly 104 to implementation 106, which then may require further conception, creation, and assembly. The service is then provisioned and deployed 108, finally arriving at the revenue generation and management stage 110.
Additional information regarding OSS/BSS/SDP integration can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/019,335, filed on Jan. 24, 2008, entitled INTEGRATING OPERATIONAL AND BUSINESS SUPPORT SYSTEMS WITH A SERVICE DELIVERY PLATFORM, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for any and all purposes.
FIG. 1(b) further illustrates a lifecycle example by detailing the concept-to-cash value chain 150. The chain passes from creation to design and configuration for the service. After execution of an appropriate campaign, the service fulfillment stage occurs, where inventory is assigned, and the service is provisioned and activated. The service usage and charging phase is then carried out such that the service can arrive at the billing and collections state or revenue management.
Hence, automation of such a cycle is of interest. However, for example, between phases 1 and 3 (FIG. 1(b)) of such a cycle, pieces of software (and possibly hardware) are reprogrammed, repurposed, combined, composed, updated, etc., and when this happens, there is a need on the part the service creation environment (SCE) to know what can be composed and on the part of the BSS or OSS service that performs the management to know that it may combine two software programs because they are compatible, have similar dependencies satisfy mutual dependencies, or determine which dependencies deal with incompatible or incomplete combinations in other cases, how to know what are the different systems that must be managed when a combination of components is managed, etc. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention are related to defining and coordinating metadata to address these problems.